“We invite people to come down after work and spend happy hour at the festival!” said festival chair Ric Jacobson.

Twenty-five northwest wineries will be pouring tastes – many of them offering two or three wines. If you aren’t a wine-drinker, you’ll find tastes of local microbrews and hard ciders, as well.

Besides the 15 tokens, the ticket price includes live music from local rock band Uncle Ernie and a sampling of light nibbles. Heartier fare is available for purchase.

Here’s a video of Uncle Ernie at the 2011 fest:

The Poverty Bay Wine Festival is the major fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Des Moines, which supports numerous local projects, including youth programs, college scholarships, and parks improvements; international projects such as providing educational access for disabled individuals in Nepal, clean water efforts in Africa, and temporary shelters for disaster victims; and local organizations including the Des Moines food bank, the Des Moines Farmers’ Market, and the Des Moines Arts Commission.

All net proceeds from the Poverty Bay Wine Festival directly fund the service projects of the Rotary Club of Des Moines.

For more information on the club and details about the Poverty Bay Wine Festival, visit www.dmrotary.org.